Weft replenishing mechanism for looms



Feb. 14, 1950 o. J. LE BL'ANC ETAL WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Sept. 18-, 1948 INVENTORS.

OSIAS J. LE BLANC ROBERT S SC HED|N m. G rm ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 14, 1950 f-j'UNlTEb STATE WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANIS FOR LOOMS Osias J. Le Blane, North Oxford, and Robert S.

Schedin, Worcester, Mass, assignors to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 18, 1948, Serial No. 49,962

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in weft replenishing looms, more particularly of the multicolor type, and it is the general object of the invention to provide means actuated by some part of the weft replenishing mechanism to prevent or resist rotation of reserve bobbins in the replenishing mechanism.

Many multicolor Weft replenishing looms are provided with a magazine having vertical stacks of reserve bobbins which move by gravity toward transfer position. The several stacks are arranged between guideways which necessarily maintain a loose fit with the bobbins to permit the latter to move down by gravity and. because of thisloose fit the bobbins rotate on their axes due to vibration incident to loom operation. This rotation of the bobbins is likely to cause either undue slackness of their weft ends, or tightening of the weft ends to such an extent that thread breakage may result. In the past various means have been provided forythe purpose of resisting bobbin rotation in weft replenishing mechanisms or magazines of the multicolor type, and some of these have included resilient strips of metal or the like located. in the bobbin guideways for engagement with the bobbins. So far as is known, however, these devices have acted on the bobbins merely by their resilience, and if the magazine should be subject to vibration in the direction of the lengthof the bobbins the latter are likely to overcome the resilience of the anti-rolling means. Such resilient means have been under control of some part of the magazine, but this part has acted merely to move the resilient devices to nonbobbin restraining position at the time of bobbin transfer and have not been utilized to exert a positive force on the resilient devices to hold them against the bobbins.

It is an important object tion to provide a bobbin magazine of the type already referred to with a resilient bobbin engaging member which is normally forced into bobbin engaging position by some part of the magazine during non-replenishing conditions, said part being preferably a vertically slidable bobbin releaser. When a replenishing operation occurs this part moves fromits normal to a temporary abnormal position to release the bobbin engaging member, whereupon the latter due to its resilience moves away from the bobbins to free the latter so they may fall by gravity.

. The aforesaid bobbin releaser is provided'at its upper end with apivoted dog which during downward movement of the releaser after a previous raising thereof swings pivotally with respect to the releaser. It is a further object of the invention to operate the resilient bobbin restraining member which engages the bobbins by these dogs as the latter return to their normal of the present inven-- 2 position incident to downward movement of their respective releasers.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of the invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of parts of a weft replenishing loom showing the reserve bobbin magazine with the invention applied thereto, and showing the lay in cross section,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on line 2 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed horizontal section on line 3--3, Fig. 2, showing one bobbin releaser and associated parts,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 44, Fig. 3, showing one of the vertical slides and the dog therefor in two different positions, and v Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the bobbin engaging members.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the loom frame l0 supports a magazine designated generally at M, the magazine being of the usual multicolor type and having in this particular instance four stacks of reserve bobbins designated generally at BI, B2, B3 and B4 arranged from right to left as viewed in Fig. 1. These stacks are arranged between inner and outer magazine plates II and I2 shown at the left and right, respectively, of Fig. 2. The inner plate I I is provided with flanges 13 which definie guideways G for the butts M of the reserve bobbins, and in similar manner the outer plate I2 is provided with flanges I5 defining guideways for the tips l8 of the reserve bobbins.

At the bottom of each stack there is located a rockable bobbin delivering cradle one of which is shown at 20 in Fig. 2. These cradles are controlled by upright bobbin releaser slides 2|, 22, 23 and 24 for the stacks Bl-B4, respectively. These releaser slides are normally in down position and are provided with upper and lower lugs 25 and 26, respectively, which cooperate with a so-called color slide 21 havin operating fingers 28. When four stacks of bobbins are used as set forth herein, there will be two fingers 28, one of which is partly broken away in Fig. 2. The usual guides 29 allow the releaser slides to move vertically but prevent them from moving laterally away from the inner plate II. The color slide has a longitudinal motion transverse of the vertical slides and also has a rocking motion for the purpose of raising and lowering any releaser slide registered with it.

Whenever a weft replenishing operation is called the color slide 21 will rock in a counterclockwisedirection as viewed in Fig. 2, and the fingers 28 will rise to engage the top lug 25 of the vertical slide registered with one or the other of them to raise the corresponding slide. At some later time the color slide 21 is given a clockwise rocking movement the effect of which is to engage the bottom lug 26 of the previously raised vertical slide to lower the latter. As the vertical slide rises it rocks its cradle so that the latter receives the lowest bobbin in the'associated stack, and as the vertical slide descends the cradle is returned to its normal position and at the same time discharges the previously received bobbin so that the latter caninove to a transfer position indicated at B, Figs. 1 and 2, under a transferrer arm 35.

Each vertical slide has a dog 30 pivoted at 3! to theu'pp'er end thereof. A compressionspring 32 between the head 33- 'of the vertical releaser slide and the arm 34 of the dog tends to move the latter in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. '4. When the vertical slide is 'down, how ever, the arm 34 engages the web 35 of end plate H and the dog will be heldin the dotted line position shown in Fig. '4. As the vertical rel-easel" slide rises and arm 3% moves away "from the web 35 the spring 32 'rocks the dog to the full line position shown in Fig. 4 with arm 34 inclined downwardly. Upon "subsequent downward movement of the "vertical slide the dog engages web 35 and returns to normal position with arm'34 horizontal.

The matter thus far described is well understoodand may be of usual construction and operate in the usual manner.

In carrying the present invention into 'efiect each bobbin stack or .guide'w'ay G is provided with a bobbin butt engagingmember'which normally resists movement of the associated bobbins. In the present instance. there will be four of "these devices, but since they are all alike "the description herein will be limited to one of them, namely, the member associated with the front bobbin stack Bl.

The. resilientbobbin engaging friction .member, .designated.. genera'lly at Ell, and shown more specifically in Fig. 5, has along 'fiat body 4! is--bent over laterally as at 42 so that it will fit over the top of the web35. The .end of the member is then bent down as at 43 parallel to bod 41 to resiliently engage the opposite side of web 35, see Fig. 2. :In order that-the bobbin restraining member may beheld against .accidental upward motion there is :struck from its. small finger M which fits under that part of the Web 35 which is-grippedby the body 4| and endllt. The straight downbent end-43 together with the body it! cooperate with the web 35 to hold the lower :part of the member against web 35 'and cause the-body M normally to tend to' move away from the bobbin"butts.

Struck from the member is :an integral tongue t5 which is inclined downwardly and away from the bobbins, and-is-po'sitioned for om gagement with the armtfl of the dog-30. When the releaser-slide il is down as shown in Fig. 2, and :indotted"lines in Fig. '4, the horizontal *arm 34 will bear against the ttongue 45 and push the 4 member 49 to the dotted line position shown Fig. 4 against the butts of the bobbins in the corresponding stack. When held in this posi- "tion the member it effectively prevents rotation or objectionable vibration of the bobbins, and resists downward motion of the bobbins by gravity. It should be noted that the member 40 is held in this position positively, the arm 34 extending horizontally to the right from its pivot 3i to exert a lateral force on the member 40 transmitted through the tongue 45. This is a normal condition and persists until a. replenishing operation occurs involving bobbins from stack Bl. At that time the vertical slide 2| will rise and the spring 32 will rock the dog 30 -'as already described, thereby inclining the arm 3 1 of the dog downwardly to the full line position shown in Fig. 4 and moving it laterally away from the member All at thesame timethe' dog moves upwardly away from the tongue 45'. The member 30 is th'ere'iore -'-free to move '-by its resilience to the full line position-shown in'Figu l away :from the bobbin butts [hand the bobbins are thus released so that they can fall freely to permit the lowermost bobbin thereof to move into the corresponding :cradle 21a. When the previously-raisedvertical slide is again depressed by action of the color slide 21 the arm 34 of thedog rocks from the inclined fullline position to the horizontal dotted :line position 'of Fig. -4 and again exerts force through tongue 45 to move the :member liliagainst the bobbin butts M.

From the foregoing it will :be seen that the invention provides a simple means for preventing objectionable vibration or'rct'ation of reserve bobbins'as they await transfer in a bobbinmagazine. The mechanism includes .a member 40 which isipositively acted upon and :forced against the bobbins by a magazine part, such as a bobbin releaser slide, when the "latter fiszin normal position. When a replenishing operation occurs the vertical releaser' slide movesaway from the restraining member 4.0 and the letter because of its resilience then .moves away from the bobbin butts 'to' release the 'zbobbin's so they fall by gravity. It wvill iialso be seenthat the bobbin engaging member is controlled by the pivoted dog on the =verticalreleaser slide, and that the force which :holdszthe member-40 in normal bobbin restraining :position :is ssubstantially perpendicular to thedirection. in which the slide reciprocates vertically and therefore does not subject the slide .to any unbalanced force which might otherwise rdisturb'its normal position. Furthermore, the movement of the member it against the bobbin butts is efiected by two factors tone of which is :the downward motion of the dog :as .it engages the tongue 45 and the other of which is the :angular motion of the dog which moves the arm 3 i=thereof from an .=inelined' to a horizontal position.

Having thus described the invention it will be seen" that changes and-modifications of the foregoing specific :disclosure may beimade without departing lrom' the spirit sand-scope of the invention.

What is .claimed as new is:

1. In a weft replenishing 'mechanism'having a stack of bobbins which move downwardly by gravity toward transfer position',v a resilient member :mounted on the mechanism tending due to the resilience thereof to .movie'z'awayrfrom'ithe bobbins and'bob'bin releaser means movableirom one position thereof .to another =position thereof incident to a weft replenishing operation" of-=.tlie

mechanism, the releaser means in said one position thereof engaging and forcing the member against the bobbins to resist movement of the latter, the releaser means in the other position thereof being out of engagement with the member, whereupon the latter moves away from the bobbins to enable the latter to fall toward transfer position without interference by the member.

2. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a stack of bobbins which move downwardly by gravity toward transfer position, a bobbin releaser movable upwardly from the normal position thereof to an abnormal position incident to a weft replenishing operation of the mechanism, a dog pivoted on said releaser and having an arm which is substantially horizontal when the releaser is in the normal position thereof, the arm assuming a downwardly inclined position when the releaser is in the abnormal position thereof, and a vertically extending resilient friction member for the bobbins supported on the mechanism and forced against the bobbins by said arm to resist movement of the bobbins when the releaser is in the normal position thereof, said dog when moving to the inclined position thereof incident to upward movement of the releaser to the abnormal position of the latter moving away from the member and the latter due to the resilience thereof moving away from the bobbins.

3. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a stack of bobbins which move downwardly by gravity toward transfer position, a resilient friction member extending vertically and supported by the mechanism and tending due to the resilience thereof to move away from the bobbins, a bobbin releaser normally in down position but raised to an abnormal position incident to a weft replenishing operation of the mechanism, a dog pivoted on the releaser having an arm normally engaging part of the replenishing mechanism and being disposed substantially horizontally when the releaser is in the normal down position thereof and engaging the member to force the latter against the bobbins to resist movement of the latter, and means effective as the releaser moves to the abnormal position thereof and the arm moves away from said part of the replenishing mechanism to move said arm downwardly and in a direction away from said member.

4. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a stack of bobbins which move downwardly by gravity toward transfer position, a bobbin releaser slidable vertically 0n the mechanism from a normal down position to an abnormal up position incident to a weft replenishing operation of the mechanism, a dog pivoted to the releaser and having an arm which is in horizontal position when the releaser is down and is in a downwardly inclined position when the releaser is in abnormal position, and a resilient friction member extending vertically and supported on the mechanism for engagement with the bobbins and having a tongue thereon for engagement with the arm, said member due to the resilience thereof tending to move away from the bobbins, the arm normally engaging the tongue and forcing the member against the bobbins to resist movement of the latter when the releaser is in the normal down position thereof, and the dog rising to a position out of engagement with the tongue when the releaser rises to the abnormal position thereof, said arm when moving to the inclined position thereof moving away from the member, whereupon the latter due to resilience thereof moves away from the bobbins.

5. A weft replenishing mechanism having a stack of bobbins which move downwardly by gravity toward transfer position, a vertically extending resilient friction member for engagement with the bobbins tending due to the resilience thereof to move away from the bobbins, a tongue on said member inclined downwardly and in a direction away from said bobbins, an upwardly slidable releaser On the mechanism on that side of the member opposite the bobbins, a dog pivoted to said releaser, the releaser being normally down and part of the dog normally engaging the tongue to force the member against the bobbins to resist movement of the latter, the releaser when rising lifting the dog to a point above said tongue out of engagement with the latter, and means effective when the releaser moves upwardly to move the dog pivotally so that said part thereof moves away from said member.

6. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a stack of bobbins which move downwardly by gravity toward transfer position, an end plate forming part of the replenishing mechanism, a resilient bobbin engaging member extending vertically along the bobbins and having the upper end thereof bent over and downwardly along a part of said end plate, a finger struck from said member engaging the under side of said part of the end plate, said upper end and finger of the member in cooperation with said part of the end plate tending to hold the member away from said bobbins, means movable on the replenishing mechanism effective in one position thereof to force said member against the bobbins to resist movement thereof, said means in another position thereof being out of engagement with the member and enabling the latter due to the resilience thereof to move away from said bobbins.

'7. A member to resist movement of reserve bobbins in a weft replenishing mechanism having a bobbin releaser slidable on an end plate formed with a web forming part of a guideway for the butts of the bobbins, said member comprising a single strip of fiat resilient material having an elongated straight body to extend along said guideway, one end of said body being bent laterally from the body in a given direction and is then further bent to extend parallel to but spaced from the body to fit over part of said web, a finger integral with the body extending from the latter in said given direction to lie under said part of the web, and said body having a tongue to engage said releaser integral with said body extending therefrom in said given direction.

. OSIAS J. LE BLANC.

ROBERT S. SCHEDIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,516,790 Richardson Nov. 25, 1924 1,521,182 Hoffman Dec. 30, 1924 1,560,005 Wakefield Nov. 3, 1925 

